Hyderabad: For the third year in a row, Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao has skipped the birth anniversary celebrations of freedom fighter and country’s first education minister Moulana Abul Kalam Azad on Friday.
Although the occasion was celebrated as official function at Nizam College Grounds, the Chief Minister stayed away from it for undisclosed reasons.
Sources in the Chief Minister’s Office claimed that KCR was not informed in advance about the programme. However, the Minorities Welfare Department has reportedly informed the CMO about the function on November 4 itself.
It may be mentioned that the Chief Minister did not participate in Moulana Azad’s birth anniversary celebrations held at Ravindra Bharathi on 11th November of 2014 and 2015.
This year he was expected to attend the function which was celebrated as Minorities Day and Education Day.
Similarly, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has skipped Moulana Azad’s birth anniversary celebrations held at Prakasam Hall of Gandhi Bhavan. The function, organised by the TPCC Minorities Department,
was planned well in advance and Uttam Kumar Reddy’s name was printed as the Chief Guest in the invitations. Congress Legislature Party leader K. Jana Reddy and TPCC Working President Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka too did not attend the function.
In the absence of Uttam and Jana Reddy, Leader of Opposition in Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir presided over the function.
It may be mentioned that Moulana Azad had served as Congress president for three terms. (INN)